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Chris Reed: From obscurity to first-round pick

June 7, 2011 | 10:53
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Chris Reed was second-team all-league as a high school senior in the San Fernando Valley and he pitched sparingly in his first two years at Stanford. But last May, Reed set a goal for himself: to be a first-round draft pick.

“I knew I could outwork everybody else,” he said. “I was blessed with some good height, and being a lefty, I had the tools. I decided to develop them.”

Reed his completed his transformation from unknown to top prospect on Monday, when the Dodgers drafted him with the 16th pick of the first round.

“It’s obviously a dramatic transformation from where I was,” Reed said. “I worked hard to get here.”

Reed said he recommitted himself last summer, when he played in the Atlantic Collegiate Summer League. When he returned to California, he worked out three times a week in Santa Barbara.

Dodgers scouting director Logan White said he viewed Reed as a starter. Reed said he saw himself that way as well.

Even though White said Reed could be fast-tracked if he were used as a reliever, Reed said he wasn’t tempted by the idea.

“Not particularly,” he said. “I love starting.”

Reed is advised by super agent Scott Boras. The last time the Dodgers drafted a Boras advisee was in 2005, when they selected Luke Hochevar. They failed to sign him.

Asked if he was prepared to return to Stanford for his senior season if an agreement with the Dodgers could not be reached, Reed said, “If that’s how it happens …”

But, Reed also said, “In the end, it’s my decision.”

An agent advising another draftee said he was told by White that the Dodgers couldn’t offer a signing bonus greater than what was recommended by the commissioner’s office for that slot. The slot amount for the No. 16 pick is believed to be around $1.5 million.

Reed pitched in Dodger Stadium in 2007 for Cleveland High in Reseda in the Los Angeles City Section Finals. His team fell to Chatsworth, 2-1.